# Fake Monti Deconstruction (pic heavy)



## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

*Know what you're buying or gifted!*
I friend of mine that I work with who, by the way, is not a regular cigar smoker; recently gave me one of two "Habana" Montichristo that his brother (who bought a box of them on the cheap while on vacation :vs_no_no_no gave to him. Immediately I knew it was a fake! I didn't say anything to him, but I really wanted too. So, how did I know at one glance that it was a fake? I do my homework....and it had celo; cheap celo at that! Upon further inspection my suspicion was confirmed when I looked at the band. I'll let you guys be the judge; was I right? Would you been able to spot the fake at a glance? Lemme hear your thoughts. 

So, here's what I found:
1. Celo on a Habana, Monti at that! Plus the cigar looked like crap.
2. Band looks like it was printed on a standard office color printer with no embossing.
3. Single cap that looks like a 5 yr old cut it out with those rounded tip scissors we had in kindergarten and glued it on. (Heavily glued on)
4. Once it was cut open it stunk like molded cardboard. (It was horrible!)
5.The pic with the red circle is a bug that came out when I cut into it (Killed it). Dust and pieces everywhere! 
6. Huge hole in every filler leaf (poor quality materials) 
7. All leaves were the same, no variation in priming. 
8. MIXED FILLER! MIXED FILLER! MIXED FILLER!:vs_whistle:

Make sure you know for sure what you're buying/smoking! I couldn't imagine smoking this POS.


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## ForceofWill (Sep 6, 2008)

ROFL, that band tho.


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## SoCal Gunner (Apr 7, 2016)

ForceofWill said:


> ROFL, that band tho.


Exactly - I may have bought 1 just for the band - lol. Make that 2 - the second one for the sales guy/gal to smoke on the spot!


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## WABOOM (Oct 15, 2015)

Omg !


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

What really pisses off the Good Humor man is when I see trash like this that they sell in the Caribbean and places that you know are fakes... and the sad thing is when friends know that you love cigars and they really think they are coming back with a heck of a deal on a real Cuban cigar... the scary thing is is the scumbags in the islands will put nearly next to anything whether it be rat turds or even worse because they don't care and if they make $2 on the cigar they're happy with that. My advice is never... Ever... smoke anything that somebody brings back that can't be validated.

I've been to the islands in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico too many times and when I see these jagoffs trying to sell fake Cuban cigars... That's when I really love to F with them.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Sorry your friend got duped Tijuana Mexico is the best walk down Revolution Avenue. Store after store filled with fakes.:vs_mad: The sad part if you go just a couple of more blocks. There is a LCDH.


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## LeatherNeck (Feb 8, 2017)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> Sorry your friend got duped Tijuana Mexico is the best walk down Revolution Avenue. Store after store filled with fakes.:vs_mad: The sad part if you go just a couple of more blocks. There is a LCDH.


Even sadder still is the fact that non-cigar smokers don't know the difference. When I was in Cozumel a few years ago, I dipped into a cigar shop to take a look around. The first words out of the lady's mouth were, "You looking Cuban?". So I said sure. Every one that she pulled off the shelves was either NC or a fake. As I played the "stupid tourist", she was even trying to sell the NC's as Cuban. Everywhere I went, she was 2 inches away. If I touched something, "You like? I make good deal for you." They won't take "NO" for an answer either.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

LeatherNeck said:


> Even sadder still is the fact that non-cigar smokers don't know the difference. When I was in Cozumel a few years ago, I dipped into a cigar shop to take a look around. The first words out of the lady's mouth were, "You looking Cuban?". So I said sure. Every one that she pulled off the shelves was either NC or a fake. As I played the "stupid tourist", she was even trying to sell the NC's as Cuban. Everywhere I went, she was 2 inches away. If I touched something, "You like? I make good deal for you." They won't take "NO" for an answer either.


Cozumel also has a very nice LCdH. Jimmy Sotolongo is the house roller there, and rolls some nice customs, and they have a good selection of always genuine Havanas. Everything is pricey, of course. Mexican taxes are brutal. But hell, you're on vacation!

The LCdH has a nice bar and restaurant as well. You can have a great meal, and then enjoy a cigar and a drink at your table after dinner. And absolutely no one will complain about your smoke, unless (shudder) you smoke some cheap ass NC.

It's not a La Casa del Cheapo Non-Cuban, now is it? Nope. It's Habanos, baby!

Hell, if you want to smoke during dinner, the staff will simply smile and offer you a light.

There's a nice view of the water, and everything is air conditioned. I personally recommend the lobster, followed by one of Jimmy's customs. My wife swears by the mojitos.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Taking advantage of people that don't know better just strikes a nerve in me. It's theft, plain and simple. 
Nice breakdown of that cigar. 

Sent from my know it all smart phone using Tapatalk


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

Nobody should smoke those. 
Please tell your friend.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

LeatherNeck said:


> Even sadder still is the fact that non-cigar smokers don't know the difference. When I was in Cozumel a few years ago, I dipped into a cigar shop to take a look around. The first words out of the lady's mouth were, "You looking Cuban?". So I said sure. Every one that she pulled off the shelves was either NC or a fake. As I played the "stupid tourist", she was even trying to sell the NC's as Cuban. Everywhere I went, she was 2 inches away. If I touched something, "You like? I make good deal for you." They won't take "NO" for an answer either.


Sadder yet are those that got taken but refuse to admit it. There used to be a member on another board. I will never forget his words.
"Never underestimate the power of denial":vs_cool:


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## Jade Falcon (Jul 16, 2015)

So am I to understand that celo is not placed on Cubans?


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Jade Falcon said:


> So am I to understand that celo is not placed on Cubans?


Some small short filler cigars like the Partagas Chicos still have cellophane.

And there are still some incredibly expensive vintage cigars with cellophane, including some old Cohibas. But you're talking about prices on a box equal to that of a nice new car.


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## Joe Sticks (May 31, 2016)

bpegler said:


> Cozumel also has a very nice LCdH. Jimmy Sotolongo is the house roller there, and rolls some nice customs, and they have a good selection of always genuine Havanas. Everything is pricey, of course. Mexican taxes are brutal. But hell, you're on vacation!
> 
> The LCdH has a nice bar and restaurant as well. You can have a great meal, and then enjoy a cigar and a drink at your table after dinner. And absolutely no one will complain about your smoke, unless (shudder) you smoke some cheap ass NC.
> 
> ...


Thanks Bob !

And that post is why I would come to Puff (and a few other forums) to get advice & recommendations from the experienced vets before buying anything in person or online. Loss of money is bad enough. The thought of smoking rat turds has zero appeal.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Jade Falcon (Jul 16, 2015)

bpegler said:


> Some small short filler cigars like the Partagas Chicos still have cellophane.
> 
> And there are still some incredibly expensive vintage cigars with cellophane, including some old Cohibas. But you're talking about prices on a box equal to that of a nice new car.


Right....but if singles are sold in resort cities, then if they're real....they won't come wrapped in celo?

That's where I'm confused.

I'm asking because I'm thinking of my father and the Cubans he's bought while on vacation in Mexico. He's pretty convinced that they're real, but I don't know where he's bought them and, off the top of my head, I can't recall where specifically in Mexico he's been on vacation.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Jade Falcon said:


> Right....but if singles are sold in resort cities, then if they're real....they won't come wrapped in celo?
> 
> That's where I'm confused.
> 
> I'm asking because I'm thinking of my father and the Cubans he's bought while on vacation in Mexico. He's pretty convinced that they're real, but I don't know where he's bought them and, off the top of my head, I can't recall where specifically in Mexico he's been on vacation.


Unfortunately, almost all of the Cubans sold in Mexico are fakes. About the only place to purchase a real one is at a La Casa del Habano (LCdH). They are the official Cuban franchises.

If the ones that your father bought are wrapped in cellophane, they're almost certainly counterfeit. Real cigars aren't re wrapped in cellophane.


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## Jade Falcon (Jul 16, 2015)

bpegler said:


> Unfortunately, almost all of the Cubans sold in Mexico are fakes. About the only place to purchase a real one is at a La Casa del Habano (LCdH). They are the official Cuban franchises.
> 
> If the ones that your father bought are wrapped in cellophane, they're almost certainly counterfeit. Real cigars aren't re wrapped in cellophane.


Re-wrapped? I didn't say re-wrapped....I just asked: are single Cuban cigars sold in cellopane in Mexico?

Because if they aren't, then it's a good indication that he probably bought fakes. But I don't know for certain. Again: I don't even recall where he's been on vacation in Mexico. I know he's been to Cancun, but I don't remember when.

And the last country my parents went to had a rain forest, but I can't remember.....pretty sure it was Costa Rica.

I've always suspected that he's bought fakes, because it's so difficult to find any real ones in Mexico.

The more I think about this, the more it's bugging me. Gonna get in touch with him about this....:hmm:


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Jade Falcon said:


> Re-wrapped? I didn't say re-wrapped....I just asked: are single Cuban cigars sold in cellopane in Mexico?
> 
> Because if they aren't, then it's a good indication that he probably bought fakes. But I don't know for certain. Again: I don't even recall where he's been on vacation in Mexico. I know he's been to Cancun, but I don't remember when.
> 
> ...


Let me try again. The cigar was never wrapped by HSA. So it is certainly a fake.

All through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, wherever tourists go, virtually all of the Cuban cigars are fake. Even in Havana the street cigars are counterfeit. LCdHs are really the only safe place to buy genuine ones.

Most, but not all, of the cigars sold in the larger airport duty free shops are real as well.

I used the term re wrapped in case you thought a vendor might have been trying to protect a genuine cigar. But it is a sure sign of a fake, except for some of the minis.

Hope this helps.


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## Jade Falcon (Jul 16, 2015)

bpegler said:


> Let me try again. The cigar was never wrapped by HSA. So it is certainly a fake.
> 
> All through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, wherever tourists go, virtually all of the Cuban cigars are fake. Even in Havana the street cigars are counterfeit. LCdHs are really the only safe place to buy genuine ones.
> 
> ...


It does help, thank you.

One thing I can say for him: he's never bought it from a street vendor or alley-way shop. I at least trust him not to be that gullible, lol, and he's well aware that those ones are very fake.

If I understand correctly, he buys them at his resort destinations. Or something. But again...not entirely sure.

He doesn't study up on this stuff is his problem. Usually working, and when he's not, he CBFed. I'm gonna tell him about LCdH.


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